UK’s ASA opens an investigation against Valve and Hello Games

No Man’s Sky was one of the most expected games of 2016. The trailers of the game showed an almost endless amount of planets to explore, each with its unique ecosystem and creatures. The trailer promised players they could fully personalize their spaceships and enjoy the graphics at full HDR.

After its release in August, the game received mostly negative reviews. Most analysts agreed the game failed to deliver many of the characteristics mentioned before. Users gave an average score of 50/100 to No Man’s Sky on the PlayStation 4 and PC.

Even Sony’s President, Shuhei Yoshida, declared he understood the criticism around the game because they promised many things in the promotional material that didn’t get to the final version. He considers the strategy applied by Hello Games was not a smart one.

Hello Games’ YouTube trailers are playing a big role in the lawsuit

Nonetheless, on September 28th, the player identified as AzzerUK has made public his lawsuit against the creators of No Man’s Sky, Valve and Hello Games. He explained he sued both companies to UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about a week ago. His key points were the faulty graphics and the lifeless scenarios.

The Advertising Standards Authority is in charge of protecting customers from fake advertisements. He already received a response which he posted on No Man’s Sky’s Reddit page.

The ASA has accepted the lawsuit and is now contacting both companies to give them the opportunity to defend themselves in a trial. They consider Hello Games’ trailers on YouTube are their worst offense.

So far none of the companies have issued an official response, but the ASA confirmed they were communicating with the authorities. It is too soon to tell, but they could end up in a trial over misleading publicity.

Gamers could start suing Valve and Hello Games in other countries

Other gamers are talking with AzzerUK the possibility of extending the lawsuit’s jurisdiction to the U.S. and other European countries. So far none of the entities related to the ASA in other countries have reported any complaints regarding No Man’s Sky.

On the other hand, the Advertising Standards Authority has mentioned they had received almost ten similar requests from people who purchased the game. Users made these new complaints in less than a week after the ASA issued a statement.

This is not the first time the ASA pronounces against video game companies. In 2012, the authorities received complaints about a “Hitman: Absolution” ad. During the video, an armed man brutally assaulted a civilian woman. The ASA retired the ad from T.V.